Ponda: Despite a carrying capacity of 240 trips at Dudhsagar waterfalls in Bhagwan Mahaveer wildlife sanctuary, Collem, Dharbandora, govt has allowed 40 more jeeps trips to accommodate the rising crowd of picnickers during the year-end peak tourist season.Dudhsagar falls is a four-tiered waterfall (height -310m/1,017ft) and is among India’s tallest waterfalls.Every year, thousands of domestic and foreign visitors throng here to get a glimpse of its milky waters cascading into the lake.While the wildlife board has 431 jeeps registered to carry tourists to the waterfall base, the state wildlife board capped trips to the falls at 240 per day on Dec 2, 2019. The report states that more vehicles inside the forest could disturb wildlife.Local MLA and speaker Ganesh Gaonkar said Collem village witnessed huge crowds, including foreign tourists. But most of them had to return dejected and view the village from a distance.“Considering the tourists’ wishes, Collem sarpanch Govind Shigaokar had requested chief minister Pramod Sawant and me to increase the jeep trips, at least during festive seasons”, Gaonkar told TOI.He added that there is no need to increase the number of vehicles during off-season as tourist footfall remains very low and the existing jeeps would be sufficient.He said he met Sawant on Tuesday evening, and the CM has allowed 40 more trips to the waterfall.The decision to increase trips has been implemented from Wednesday, with Dudhsagar falls recording 1,960 tourist visits on the first day, said Jiss Varkey, deputy conservator of forests, north division, Ponda, who oversees the Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary.Varkey said it could be a temporary solution, and the decision to continue it will be discussed later.
